Laparoscopy is a surgery that uses a thin, lighted tube put through a cut in the belly to look at the abdominal organs or the female pelvic organ. Laparoscopy is used to find problems such as cysts, adhesions, fibroids and infection. Tissue samples can be taken for biopsy through the tube. In many cases laparoscopy can be done instead of laparotomy surgery that uses a larger incision in the belly. Laparoscopy can be less stressful and may have less problems and lower costs than laparotomy for minor surgeries. It can often be done without needing to stay overnight in the hospital. Laparoscopy is done to check for and possibly take out abnormal growths such as tumors in the belly or pelvis, check for and treat conditions such as endometriosis, ectopic pregnancy or pelvic inflammatory disease, find conditions that can make it hard for a woman to become pregnant, do a biopsy, to look whether cancer in another area of the body has spread to the belly, check for damage to internal organs, such as the spleen, after an injury or accident, do a tubal ligation, fix a hiatus hernia or an inguinal hernia, removal of organs, such as the uterus, spleen, gallbladder, ovaries and appendix. Partial removal of the colon can also can be done and also to find the cause of sudden or ongoing pelvic pain. Risks include bleeding from the incisions, infection and damage to an organ or blood vessel. This may cause more bleeding that needs another surgery to repair.